Examined alcohol use in relation to leisure time use and attitudes toward school climate among 222 high school sophomores and seniors. Found heavy alcohol use correlated with participation in social and vocational activities. Heavy users enjoyed school and school subjects less, had greater potential for conflicts with teachers, and received lower…

Investigated relationship between perceived physical attractiveness and frequency of substance use among 1,297 adolescents. Female adolescents who rated themselves as unattractive were more likely to use illicit psychoactive substances than those who rated themselves as average or attractive. Perceived attractiveness did not contribute to…

Analysis of 19 language features in impromptu essays written by 96 students (half males, half females) from grades 4, 8, and 12 enabled researchers to identify the gender of the writer 84-87 percent of the time. Further analyses established a relationship between this "gender-linked language effect" and subjective attributional ratings by…

Surveyed grade 10, 11, and 12 students (n=285) regarding types of demands they faced, how well they thought they coped with demands, and level of stress experienced in those situations. Results suggest adolescents with greater coping resources demonstrated lower levels of stress and less frequent stress symptoms. (Author/ABL)

Relates various types of educational spending to mean mathematics achievement and its social distribution among students using a nationally representative database of 7,217 12th graders. Spending on instruction and capital expenditures was related to differences in achievement between socioeconomic status groups, with lower spending associated…

Since 1990, there have been at least six published court decisions concerning teachers' use of controversial videos in public schools. A relevant district policy led the Colorado Supreme Court to uphold a teacher's termination for showing 12th graders an R-rated 1900 Bertolucci film on fascism. Implications are discussed. (MLH)

Describes a project that was used with advanced 11th and 12th grade art students in which they created silk-screen self-portraits in the style of Andy Warhol. Discusses the process of creating the portraits and the activities that concluded the project. Lists the needed materials. (CMK)

An analysis was carried out to examine the relative effect of being in a single-parent, mother-only or father-only family for African-American girls in 8th grade in 1988 on 12th grade educational achievements in 1992 and two years after high school in 1994. The result showed that for these African-American girls parental configuration was not as…

Describes an art project in which juniors and seniors in graphic design created their own label designs for a one liter plastic bottle of soft drinks. Discusses in detail how the students created their labels. States that the seniors also created a box. (CMK)

This paper provides a pragmatic view of efficient use of graphics calculators. Efficiency is described in terms of quick and easy calculation, as debated and evidenced in a Year 12 calculus class. Students' methods of calculation are analysed in terms of the algebraic understanding and technical skills that underpinned them. Patterns in students'…

This study examines question asking about "causal" relations when students read scientific texts. We examine the influence of the length of causal chains and the knowledge of readers. Students from grades 8 and 12 read two short paragraphs that described natural phenomena. Length of the causal chain linking cause and effect in two key sentences…

The belief that schools can play a powerful role in preventing tobacco use among adolescents has led to the implementation of various tobacco-related polices and practices. This study examines the association between school policies regarding monitoring student behavior, severity of action taken for infraction of policies, and tobacco use by…

Conducted in urban and rural schools in two provinces of South Africa, the present study reports biology learners' understanding of concepts about genetics and inheritance. Participants were Grade 11 and 12 learners, aged 15-16 years. The tools included a written questionnaire, interviews, pre- and post-paper and pencil tests and focus group…

This longitudinal study examined psychopathology as a predictor and outcome of organized activity involvement during high school among 198 adolescents who varied in risk for psychopathology as a function of their mother's depression history. Higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in eighth grade significantly predicted lower…

Using a nationally representative sample from the National Educational Longitudinal Study, this research examines the longitudinal effects of race and socioeconomic status on 12th-grade educational achievement and achievement 2 years after high school. For 12th-grade outcomes, the authors found no statistical difference in scores between Hispanic…